Sunday, October 30, 2011

I was able to spend time with my friend Lauren, who said goodbye to her sweet baby boy last week.

I remember what it felt like those first few days after Caden died.

The quiet.

The tears.

The ache.

The overwhelming saddness.

How the world kept turning, clocks kept ticking by seconds, minutes, hours... like nothing had changed. How could that be when my whole world, my whole life, Lauren's whole life, had stopped...crashed and broken into a million pieces... how?

I remember.

And I think, this past week, when I was able to talk to Lauren... to my friend Ashley (who said goodbye to her son Jonah last week), God answered a prayer.

After Caden died I asked God to show me small glimpses of why. Why her, why me, why this...

God has so overwhelmingly comforted, encouraged and strengthened me. He has given, and given and given. He has shown mercy and grace and love beyond measure. I have been humbled and brought low... and I have seen God in a way I never knew before.

He has, in a way, prepared me.

To proclaim his goodness to those who hurt.

To comfort those in pain.

To encourage those bent low under the weight of life.

To stand as an example of God's abundant faithfulness and love.

What an awesome gift... to share about God with others in the hard things.

One of the hardest things for me when going through difficult times is remembering truth when my emotions take off. When I am sad...it is hard to remember God is good. When I am hurt, it is hard to remember God and His comfort. When I am so tired and drained, it is hard to remember God is, and provides strength.

So what remindes me of truth? ... truth itself.

Scripture.

God's word.

The Bible.

I was thinking of this earlier this week and how it is hard to remember...and that you almost need a hand book for hard things. Something you can use for yourself, or give away to those in need.

*lightbulb*

why not make one...

so I did.

and I want to share, because we all go through hard things... and we need reminders of what is true.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite go-to scripture for hard times or what you would use the book for.

The giveaway will be open until noon on Friday (November 4th)

I cannot wait to keep these on hand to give to people who need encouragement and comfort from God's word. It is my hope that this little book can be used for God's Glory in all the hard things of life.

I told a friend earlier today,that although I have been where Lauren is, I still have no words. Only hugs, prayers and Jesus gets you through.

But mostly Jesus.

I hurt for Lauren and Scott. I remember the hurt... the ache of loss. The Caden shaped void in my life.

Now they have a Michael shaped void.

The only thing that fills a void like that is HOPE.

I will see Caden again..I just have to wait awhile.

Michael is just a while away now too.

Maybe they are together... giggling at their silly mama's who have no idea the wonderfulness that is their life.

Because they are alive...

SO alive.

just little a while away.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

{1 Thess 4:16-17}

Please pray for Lauren and Scott... they are in desperate need of your prayers. Leave a comment here or better yet... hop on over to Lauren's blog... see pictures of her precious son, Michael...and and leave a comment there.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Just recently (as in the past month or so) we have been able to bathe the kiddos at the same time...

in the same tub...

saving time and energy...

and what's left of Mama's ever-so-elusive sanity.

Bath time has always been enjoyable.

Now it it double the pleasure, double the fun...﻿

Rigg LOVES the water. He could stay in the bath for hours getting his fingers and pigs (or toes as most would call them) all wrinkly and prune-y. He makes his boats go on tours and sinks them. He puts the letters and numbers on the walls and sings his ABC's and counts (most of the time in the right order... or at least some of the time). He names his body parts when we soap him down. Rigg is a tame bather.

Ryder lives his whole life wildly... including bath time. He splashes always, crawls all over, and chews on everything in reach. ﻿He takes up 87.4% of the tub leaving Rigg a small space in which to play. Rigg never complains... So Ryder continues to expand his territory until a strong parental figure moves him back to "his side" giving his brother room to breathe.

and by the end of bath time﻿ not only are the children wet from head to toe... but Mama and Daddy are too... and the floor... possibly the dog.

But Clean! Everyone is clean and smells of that warm, cozy baby smell...

who we claim to be

Hey all,If you do not know us, the first thing you should know is how much we love the Lord our God, and we are striving to live lives worthy of the title, Believer.
The second is we are praying everyday for His return. On that day we will be reunited with our precious baby girl Caden, the treasure of our hearts. Since the death of our daughter we have battled grief, hurt, tears in public, brain surgery and chemo. We have also celebrated new life in the birth of our 2 sons. So come, read, share and enjoy the life God has given us. Although it is not perfect, or even what we had planned it is what He wants for us, so we choose to rejoice.

start here!!!

The Captain and Cari

Our Joy, Caden Joelle.

"Michael said Caden's funeral felt like a wedding. I smile to type that, because in many ways, it was: a celebration of one little bride being united with the Lamb."

~Katherine Kramer~

our big Rigg

Ryder

things that make me laugh

I came back into the room from treating myself to a nice, cold diet coke when I saw the Captain playing with Rigg. He was making the stuffed animal dance in the air toward our son and saying in a sing-song voice “Here comes the zebra.” I looked at him and said in the exact same sing-song voice “It’s a giraffe.” To which the Captain, with only the briefest pauses, sing-songed back the reply… “Daddy had brain surgery.“